Contraceptive pill can be taken every day of the month – the original seven day break brought in so “the Pope would accept it” as natural.

Cathie Shiels, Workers’ Party representative in Ballymun-Finglas said she was ‘Infuriated, but not surprised’ to find out today that the contraceptive pill can be taken every day of the month.

Speaking today she said: “It turns out that the man who invented the pill, a Catholic gynaecologist, thought that if he imitated a woman’s natural cycle, the Pope would be more inclined to accept it. However the encyclical Humanae Vitae, written by Pope Paul VI in 1968 enshrined the ban on contraception all the same. It is frustrating that this unnecessary 7 day break, introduced to pacify a Pope who is now long dead was maintained.

For most, it’s rare that modern discussions of gender extend beyond screenshotted tumblr posts and miseducated arguments over gender, sex and their differences – but debating human identities is far from anything new. Like all western social norms, ‘gender’ stems from economic relationships with land, wealth and privilege. Your favourite youtuber may have helped remind you to put compassion before tradition, but without an understanding of the reasons gender norms exist, we as a species can never defeat hundreds of years of gender oppression. The 15th Century brought about the Age of Discovery for some, and the Age of Colonisation for most. European countries embarked on great expeditions to claim land for their own, even though most were already inhabited, thus came friction. How Europeans went about destabilising already established societies has left a lasting impact today, especially in the destruction of social structures and their relation to land.

The Workers’ Party have offered their full support and solidarity to nurses and midwives, due to take strike action on 30th January, and said that the strike shows up twenty years of decimation of the public sector by successive right-wing governments.

Cllr. Éilis Ryan, Workers’ Party representative in Dublin and candidate in the 2019 European Elections said: “In 100 years of trade union organisation, the nursing unions are going on strike for only the second time in their history. In a profession which is challenging, under-resourced and under-paid, this fact shows the scale of commitment which nurses and midwives have to their patients.

A new year is on the horizon and as we prepare to celebrate, the Connolly Youth Movement sends you, your friends and family members our warm wishes and regards. We hope that you have good health and prosperity in the New Year, that your undertakings are successful and hard work yields fruit but most importantly, we hope you bring fresh energy and vigour to the struggle against capitalism and its lackeys in the year of 2019.

Pink capitalism refers to the marketisation of LGBT+ culture and the exploitation of the LGBT+ demographic by capitalist businesses for the purpose of a profit rather than for the authentic motive of altruistic care for the LGBT+ community. In recent years we have seen an increase in businesses coming out as ‘Pro-LGBT+’. While this is a good thing and does serve to help normalise our community, is it out of a genuine commitment to progressive political goals and idealistic concern for the welfare of the LGBT+ community?

The Workers’ Party have called for proper enforcement of laws in place to ban organised stag hunting, following the a ‘mock’ hunt carried out by the Ward Union Hunt which took place in Ashbourne on St. Stephen’s Day.

Séamus McDonagh, Workers’ Party representative in Co. Meath and long-time animal rights activist, said: “In 2010, an amendment to the Animal Welfare Bill was put in place specifically to tackle the Ward Union’s continued use of packs of dogs to hunt tame deer bred and released specifically to be hunted for sport. And yet significant evidence exists that the Hunt in Meath continues to use this very practice.

During an otherwise quiet Christmas news week, a bizarre story has cropped up on the screens and papers of Irish readers. Mary Robinson, former president and a much feted and glorified patron of Irish liberalism, has had a fateful run-in with another prestigious brand of quasi-royalty – one of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates. Robinson is a steady fixture of the Irish talk-show and documentary circuit, showing up regularly to extol her virtues as a champion of women’s rights, blazing the way for others through her election to the highest office in the land. She finds herself in such liveried pages as “Labour’s Proud History”, documenting her success as a stalwart of the party. She is a former UN Human Rights Commissioner and has been recipient of more awards and distinctions on the “Human Rights” career path than could be listed on this page. By dint of these credentials, surely this latest entanglement must have been a case of her standing up for the rights of people living in a monarchical dictatorship where slave labour, union-busting and political disappearances are normal everyday occurrences?

The establishment, propped up by virtually every political party from the Green Party to the Labour Party, has created an environment that’s impossible for young people to live in. These socio-economic conditions are stifling our generation, suffocating our lives and stealing away our energies. That is why youth activists are duty bound to mobilize a fightback. But what sort of fightback should we organize? What can we do in such an anti-youth environment and what obstacles should we overcome? In the words of Lenin, what is to be done?

It is with deep sadness and regret that the Workers Party of Ireland announces the death of our esteemed comrade, Sean Garland, a life-long revolutionary, a former General Secretary and Party President and a serving member of the Party’s Central Executive Committee. Although in recent times he had suffered serious problems with his health he remained a source of inspiration and assistance.